Ion trap mass spectrometry on a comet nucleus: the Ptolemy instrument and the Rosetta space mission

Todd, John F.J.; Barber, Simeon J.; Wright, Ian P.; Morgan, Geraint H.; Morse, Andrew D.; Sheridan, Simon; Leese, Mark R.; Maynard, Jon; Evans, Suzanne T.; Pillinger, Colin T.; Drummond, Duncan L.; Heys, Samantha C.; Huq, Ejaz; Kent, Barry J.; Sawyer, Eric C.; Whalley, Martin S. and Waltham, Nicholas R. (2006). Ion trap mass spectrometry on a comet nucleus: the Ptolemy instrument and the Rosetta space mission. Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 42(1) pp. 1–10.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jms.1147

Abstract

In May 2014, the Rosetta spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous with the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P). One of the instruments on board the Lander which will descend on to the surface of the comet is a miniaturised GC/MS system that incorporates an ion trap mass spectrometer, specially developed for isotope ratio analysis. This article describes the development and optimisation of the ion trap for this unique application, and presents a summary of the range of pre-programmed experiments that will contribute to the characterisation of the solid and volatile cometary materials. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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